Oxford and Cambridge Boat Races, London & Henley

Dating from 1829, this legendary boat race is billed as `the world's longest surviving sporting challenge'. The gruelling four-and-a-quarter-mile distance from Putney to Mortlake is three times the length of an Olympic course with the competitors often facing formidable waves and bitter winds - the race has never been cancelled due to bad weather - and the whole event is over in just 20 minutes, a fact that belies the six months of sweat and toil the teams put in in preparation for the big day. In the past Oxford have had the upper hand but the years from 1993 onwards have seen Cambridge sweep to victory after a six year run of wins by Oxford.

The 1997 143rd Boat Race was on Saturday, 29th March at 4 p.m. There are also other associated annual Oxford-Cambridge races for men and women on the same day in London and earlier in Henley.

• Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race information from REGATTA magazine.
• Further information on Oxford-Cambridge Boat Races.
• Boat Races information from Rachel Quarrell.
• The Varsity Boat Races: '96 - information from Cambridge.
• True Blue film about the Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race mutiny of 1987. See film summary and UK screenings (e.g., in central London). See also some unofficial filming information.
• Boat Race Collection including a catalogue.
• Oxford and Cambridge rowing information.
• Battle of the Blues: Boat Race 150 special exhibition at the River & Rowing Museum, Henley-on-Thames, 2004.
• Oxford, Cambridge, Brazil Race on Amazon, 21 September 1997.
• Blades of the World from which the blades above are displayed.
• BBC pages. See first BBC radio commentary, 1927 and first televised coverage, 1938.
• Seach for other links by Google.

Books

• Julian Andrews, What it Takes to Earn your Place. Buy online!
• Richard D. Burnell, One Hundred and Fifty Years of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race: An official history,
• Books by Dan Topalski, Oxford rowing coach, including True Blue: The Oxford Boat Race Mutiny (1989) and Boat Race: The Oxford revival.

-- John Snagge (1904-1996), English sports commentator
BBC commentary on the 1949 Boat Race
Christopher Dodd, The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race (1983)